Hearing the word ‘automation’ may trigger images of a robot replacing human workers and rendering personal contributions to business irrelevant, as manual operations are replaced with automated processes. While it is true that technology is reshaping the way we work, it shouldn’t eliminate employment, instead, automation is offering key advantages for proactive businesses. Nevertheless, many businesses put automation in the too-hard basket, feeling they don’t have the time, money or staff required to automate operations in their workplace and thus fail to reap competitive advantages.

Are you one of them? The purpose of this blog is to highlight how automation should not be feared or avoided, as it can help businesses to achieve success and sustainability.

Some advantages of automation your business may be missing out on include:

  1. Improved Processing Speeds

When a human is performing a task manually, they can only do so much in a certain time. When specific tasks are automated, processing times can dramatically improve through computational power and multithreading. Further, the worker(s) performing menial tasks are free to do other things, such as developing new skills, which ultimately helps productivity, job satisfaction and benefits the business.

  1. Reliability

There is improved reliability in automating tasks when compared to manual tasking. Automating operations ensures that tasks run on time and in sequence, that there is the successful completion of prerequisite jobs, that all data being inputted is correct, and finally, that appropriate processing is performed.

  1. Improved Tracking and Monitoring

Improved tracking and monitoring of processes is a considerable business benefit that occurs when automating tasks. Business Intelligence Software allows businesses to use automation to process more significant amounts of data and compile extensive information based on the results. These insights allow businesses to make informed decisions based on information that is collected, they now have a clearer insight into their performance and how their business operates.

  1. Availability

Increased availability of collected data will significantly help businesses. It is possible to automate your save and recovery systems to ensure protection from potential disk loss or inadvertent damage to system objects resulting from human error.

  1. Cost Savings

Automation also saves business money! By automating processes, more hours become available to workers to focus on more important tasks, in addition to there being a reduction in costly mistakes. This can make a significant difference to a business’s bottom line.

  1. Reduced Human Error

Although briefed on earlier, it is worth specifically acknowledging the positive impact that automation can have on reducing human error. Even the most intelligent and reliable employee can make costly mistakes. Automating certain processes can ensure that key tasks are done quickly and efficiently, with a far reduced risk of error.

  1. Business Growth

Finally, it is important to recognise how automation can facilitate growth for your business. When a worker is freed up from a time-consuming task that has been automated, they are free to move to focus on other tasks or departments within the business. This results in cost savings for businesses, which allow them to focus on investing in strategies targeting growth, expansion and allocation of workers to areas where their skills can be fully utilised.

In conclusion, hopefully, this blog has caused you to recognise the benefits of automating operations and identifying the areas where automation can contribute to the success of your business. Automation shouldn’t be perceived as a hassle or a threat to job security, rather it is an opportunity for businesses to do better!